Contest Spotlights Birds and People Who Watch Them
Male House Finch by Janet Lewis, MichiganIthaca, NY—Anyone who watches birds or takes photos of them can enter this year’s BirdSpotter contest run by Project FeederWatch at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This is the 30th season for the citizen-science project which collects observations about feeder birds from November through early April. This milestone season and the contest are being sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited. The photo contest is open to anyone, whether they participate in FeederWatch or not.
The 16-week contest kicks off on November 7 with the photo category “Birds with Food or at the Feeder.” There will be a new photo category announced every two weeks. Winners in each of eight categories will be chosen through public voting (People’s Choice) on the FeederWatch website and by internal judges (Judges’ Choice). Bi-weekly winners will receive Wild Birds Unlimited gift cards plus other prizes from the Cornell Lab, such as a field notebook and a tote bag.
During BirdSpotter’s final week, everyone is invited to vote and help determine which three photographers will be this year’s Grand Prize winners.
To learn more about the BirdSpotter contest and the ways you can participate, visit feederwatch.org/birdspotter2016.
“One of the things we’re doing for our 30th anniversary is rewarding people who participate in FeederWatch,” says project leader Emma Greig. “When they submit data, we ask them to tell us about the special moments they recall from their FeederWatch counts, or how they got started with the project.”
Four winners will be randomly selected from among the “stories and tips” entries submitted by registered FeederWatchers. Prizes and recognition on the website will also be given to three randomly selected FeederWatch participants who have been with the project for 10, 20, and all 30 years.
2015 BirdSpotter Grand Prize Winner:
The BirdSpotter Grand Prize Winner from last season’s contest, sponsored by Droll Yankees, was Janet Lewis of East Grand Rapids, Michigan. She won for her photo of a House Finch on a snowy bough.
“I love the contrast of his vivid rosy pink coloring against the snow,” Janet wrote. “The tilt of his head, the over-the-shoulder glance which shows off both his pretty pink head and interesting wing markings. Christmas card perfect!”
Explore all of last year’s winners.
Project FeederWatch is a winter-long, citizen-science project from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Bird Studies Canada. Participants report their feeder visitors to help scientists learn more about backyard birds. Visit FeederWatch.org to learn more and sign up for the project in either country.
